To combat theft in retail stores, many retailers keep high value merchandise in locked display cases or off the shopping floor with only a tag and a description of the product. For products in locked display cases, the only way a customer can retrieve the product is by finding the right store personnel with the right key to unlock the display case. For tagged products, tags need to be brought to certain sections of the store to be picked up after the purchase is made.
Such processes cause a lot of frustration for many consumers. Customers may end up going elsewhere for their products, which results in lost sales to the retail store. Such locked display cases, originally designed to deter shoplifters, are also deterring sales.